a picture's worth a thousand words
by katieyellow
Summary: Haley's always loved taking photo's but what happens when her crush Nathan realises he's the subject of a lot of them.Short sweet fluff.


a picture's worth a thousand words.

**This idea came from me watching Love Actually, which I think is a pretty depressing film but this isn't a depressing story. The bit where Emma Thompsons character realises the necklace isnt for her is so so sad. **

**So I actually wrote this in the summer but then never got round to posting it. I think this story is very light compared to my others and it's good as a fluffy one shot. I hope you all like it. I have got loads of stories i'm working on although i** **haven't worked on any of my longer stories recently but i might be able to come up with some more one shots perhaps. Anyway I hope you all enjoy and thank you to ****Sunny-C****, ****ravens23fan****, ****othnaley23**** and ****alwaysandforever08**** for taking time to review, I'm really sorry though i don't think i will be writting any more for that story but who knows maybe one day i will be inspired.**

* * *

Haley stood in the dark room and let the usual feel of peace and tranquillity wash over her. She'd always taken pictures ever since she got her first camera aged 9 and now at 17, nearly at the end of her junior year, she was hoping to go study photography at university. She was a very shy person so she loved being in the quiet and low light dark room although you wouldn't think she was shy considering the people she hung out with.

Her older brother who was in senior year, Jake, was co captain of the basketball team along with his best friend Nathan Scott, the person who Haley had had the biggest crush on for as long as she'd been taking pictures.

For as long as Haley had had camera's and for as long as she's had the crush on Nathan he'd teased her, which when she was little often made her cry but as she had gotten older she had just perfected the eye roll every time he teased her.

Her best friend's Lucas, who was Nathan's younger brother, and Peyton were both basketball players and cheer leaders too which meant in their small town they were popular.

Also her brothers' girlfriend Brooke was in her senior year, like an annoying big sister to her and also captain of the cheerleader squad. Peyton and Brooke often begged her to join but she was always a lot happier out of the limelight, in the middle of the crowd taking pictures of the game.

Over the years as her camera's had improved and she'd gotten more practise, she had become a master at taking action shots, of athletes in motion and especially of basketball players, especially one blue eyed boy who was also her brothers best friend.

Her friends all though she was a perfectionist and that she chucked away most of the photo's because they only got to see a small selection of the thousands of photo's she always seemed to be taking but the truth was that the majority of the pictures she took were of Nathan and so no one got to see them.

She knew it was possibly very creepy that she did it but instead of her being a stalker it was more like Nathan was her muse and her very best pictures were often of him.

She was just developing some photo's she had taken for class when the voice behind her surprised her.

"Hey Hale's, I have a favour to ask?" Nathan asked.

It took a second for Haley to calm down, she wasn't usually disturbed in the dark room after school.

"Oh surprise surprise the only reason you're actually talking to me is because you want something." Haley said sticking her tongue out to show she wasn't really mad.

"Haley I talk to you all the time, remember at lunch I was talking to you about how much I love that poncho you used to wear when you were 14." Nathan said smirking.

"Now being mean to be isn't really going to get me to help you now is it." Haley said blushing slightly as she remembered lunch where he had been teasing her about her past fashion disasters.

"Ok no more talk of that, it's just its my mum's birthday tomorrow and I haven't got her a present so I was thinking I could get a picture of me and Lucas from the game last Friday against the shark's and frame it and you know how parent's love that kind of crap." Nathan said.

"How do you know I was even taking pictures last game." Haley said trying to come up with any kind of excuse for him not to see the pictures.

"Hale's don't be stupid, you're always taking pictures at our games." He said as he walked round the dark room looking at various things.

"Well I don't actually know where I put those pictures, I'm a bit unorganised." Haley said lamely.

Nathan gave her a sceptical look and opened the filing cabinet next to him where he searched for a second before pulling out a file that said Haley James on it.

Haley tried to go round the table to reach him in time but he had already pulled out an envelope that said 'Shark's game 12/4'.

"That was easy." Nathan said and smiled at her and Haley weakly smiled back.

"It could be something else, I often muddle up my picture's." Haley said desperately hoping he wouldn't look at the pictures.

"Nope defiantly the right game." Nathan confirmed.

She walked to the other side of the room as he started looking through the pictures and laying them out on the counter in front of her.

She tried to look like she was doing something else but she was too nervous.

He looked through the first 3 pictures, which were all of him, stating his approval

"You know it's a shame I'm not an only child these pictures are great of me, but I guess I should find one of both her son's." He said fake rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Haley crossed her fingers that he wouldn't notice or that maybe there was a picture of Lucas and Nathan in there.

After 6 pictures he picked one out and showed it to her, it was mostly of Nathan but cut out of shot at the side of the picture was Lucas.

"Maybe you're not so good after all you've managed to cut Lucas out of this one." Nathan said "Although if I must say so I do look very good in this one."

"You're right I'm actually rubbish at photography I don't think you'll find a good one." Haley said coming closer to him hoping to grab the rest of the photos off him.

He held her off as he looked through some more of the pictures and Haley began to feel sick.

He stopped looking through the photos and quickly flicked through the rest of them, he had suddenly noticed the similarity in all the photos and the look of horror on Haley's face confirmed his suspicions.

They both stood there for what seemed like a long time in silence.

"But you hardly ever talk to me." Nathan said in slight disbelief. Haley just shrugged her shoulders.

"I thought you found me annoying." Nathan said again shocked.

"You know what I need to get home, it's getting late, help yourself to any of those pictures and just put them away after you're done." Haley rushed out then hurried out of the room before he could say anything else.

She paused outside the door for a second, maybe he felt the same way, but she quickly quashed that idea knowing how stupid it was. She walked down the corridor and paused again, maybe she should say something else to him convince him she wasn't a stalker, but she knew it was too late what ever idea's he had formed it was too late for her to change his mind now.

She walked out of school and felt a deep embarrassment in the pit of her stomach, she was never going to be able to speak to him ever again, never going to be able to look at him again and once everyone else found out she was going to be the laughing stock of the school.

* * *

She didn't want to go join them for lunch but she knew she had no choice. She had a habit of going to the dark room at lunch and getting so absorbed in her work that she forgot to eat so if she didn't show up one of her friends, usually Lucas would come drag her to lunch and she had finally been banned from using it during the lunch time.

She sat down in her usual place next to Peyton and Lucas as they were all laughing at something Nathan said and she couldn't help but feel uneasy, he would obviously tell them all what he found out and at the moment she couldn't bare to look at him.

"So I got this random text and it turned out Tim had given one of the basketball players from Friday my number." Brooke said disgusted.

"Does he not realise you have a boyfriend." Peyton asked.

"Well according to Tim he knows I'm a fellow player like him and he was just trying to help a brother out." Brooke said and the others couldn't help but laugh at how stupid Tim was.

"I guess he hasn't realised you're a girl either." Jake said kissing his girlfriend on the cheek "next time I see him I'll delete your number from his phone."

Haley laughed along with them but couldn't help but be paranoid that the mention of the sharks game would cause Nathan to mention his photo discovery so she tried to change the subject.

"I saw a fox last night." Haley said and the others just looked at her as if there should be more to her story.

"And it was all mangy and didn't look very cute." Haley finished.

"Fox's are pretty common especially at night, Hale's." Jake said chuckling at his sister's odd ways.

"You've been spending way too much time in that dark room Haley." Brooke said chuckling.

"Well I'm sorry no one's handing out my phone number to random guys." Haley mumbled picking at her sandwich.

"So it was our mum's birthday today and guess what cheap ass over there got her." Lucas said and Haley cringed knowing where this story would undoubtedly lead.

"A framed picture of himself." Lucas finished laughing.

Haley held her breath while she waited for Nathan to tell him why.

"I just wanted to remind her what a great son she had, plus she loved it and I look great in that photo." Nathan said smugly and Haley was suspicious why he hadn't told anyone.

"Isn't that more because Haley's great at taking pictures rather then you actually looking that good." Peyton said.

"Yeah Haley can I look through those pictures and find a good one of me." Lucas asked and Haley immediately began to feel flustered.

"Me too actually Hale's I want a good one to give to Brooke." Jake said.

"I didn't really take any good ones." Haley said quickly.

"Well we can just browse through them, you're probably just being over critical." Jake said.

"Look you know no one gets to see my photos." Haley said desperately.

"But you let Nathan see them." Lucas pointed out.

"Well he just grabbed them I didn't have any choice." Haley said unhappily.

"Haley come on please we know they will be really good we just want to look." Jake said and suddenly it clicked for Haley, he'd already told them all and now they were just winding her up.

Haley started to pack her lunch up quickly and her cheek went red in anger.

"You are such a jerk Nathan Scott and I know you think you're so funny but what ever you thought when you saw those pictures was wrong so I'd thank you in the future not to go spreading lies about me." Haley said storming away from the group.

She didn't look back so she didn't noticed the confused looks on everyone's faces but Nathan's.

* * *

Haley was in the dark room after school and she wasn't in a very good mood, she didn't want to go home and see any of her friends as they were probably all laughing at her and her silly crush on Nathan. She had shed a few tears at the end of lunch but she wasn't going to cry any more Nathan Scott was not worth it.

She was developing some pictures for a class project when she was again interrupted by Nathan.

"What do you want?" She asked moodily not looking up from her work.

"Actually I came to ask you out." Nathan said sounding nervous not that Haley noticed she was too busy being angry.

She spun round quickly.

"You are unbelievable, is this another joke, you going to return to the others and tell them how funny I was." Haley fumed standing right in front of him her anger apparent.

"No I'm serious, I really liked the pictures." Nathan said sincerely.

Haley scoffed.

"Nathan nothing you could say would make me believe you, nothing you could do would surprise me." Haley stood right in front of him her arms crossed defensively over her chest.

Before she could even move she saw him move forwards and suddenly his lips were on hers and there was nothing that would make her pull away from kissing him.

Haley had imagined kissing him a million times but it was somehow better then she could have imagined.

"Wow." Haley managed to say when he broke their kiss.

"Yeah." Nathan agreed huskily. Haley just stared up into his eyes.

"So you were being serious about that date then?" Haley asked feeling bewildered.

"Yeah, your brothers going to kick my ass but it'll be worth it." He said as he stroked her cheek.

The kiss had been amazing but she couldn't but still feel doubt.

"So you saw those pictures and suddenly like me." Haley asked moving back out of his reach his touch too distracting.

"Sudden? Haley I've liked you for so long." Nathan said.

"Really." Haley asked in disbelief.

"Haley how could I not, you're so talented and beautiful and clever. To be honest I always thought you must hate me." Nathan said sincerely.

"Well you do tease me a lot." Haley said smiling, she could tell the sincerity in his words and she felt so excited.

"Well you obviously love it." Nathan said stepping close to her again and resting his forehead against hers.

She moved her head slowly forwards and captured his lips in a slow romantic kiss.

They broke away but their heads were still close.

"No ones going to believe this." Haley said slightly breathlessly.

"I know they're going to think you're an idiot for agreeing to go out with me." Nathan said and Haley slapped him on the arm.

"Don't be down on your self, I think you're amazing." Haley said gave him a quick peck on the lips which he deepened.

"So do many other people come in here often?" Nathan asked.

"Not really after school. Why?" Haley asked confused at Nathan's sudden interest in photography.

He kissed her again.

"It mean's we can stay in here and we won't get interrupted." He said with the smirk Haley loved.

Haley moved back from him.

"I wish you'd seen my pictures sooner." Haley said softly.

"Me too." Nathan whispered back "but you've got me now."

They kissed and the world melted away around them.

* * *

**So there you go short and sweet. If anyone missed it i posted another one shot about a week or two ago so if you enjoyed this and you haven't already you should go read it. Hopefully I will post something else soon.**


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